A hard-line strategy which saw £55m worth of drugs taken off Scotland's streets last year has been criticised for copying tough US enforcement measures.

In the last year alone there has been a five-fold increase in drug seizures overseen by the Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency (SDEA).

Those figures were hailed by the agency's bosses and the Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson.

But a Glasgow academic, who has studied drug enforcement strategies, said the hard-line approach is not always the best one.

Iain McPhee, from Paisley University, said: "If you focus on an enforcement model emphasising criminalising drug use and drug using behaviour then the performance indicators like drug related deaths, drug related crime and patterns and prevalence of drug use tend to increase with such an enforcement model."

New figures

Despite the words of caution, the SDEA director Jim Orr said he was delighted with the seizure figures.

He said hard work, dedication and good intelligence had led to the largest haul of drugs since the agency was set up in June 2000.

The figures, published on Monday, form part of the organisation's annual report.

It shows that 226 people were arrested for drug trafficking and other forms of
organised crime and 955.9 kg of class A drugs were seized.

The outstanding performance of the SDEA during the year is an indication of
how effective the organisation has become at tackling serious and organised
crime

Jim Orr

Mr Orr said: "Performance during the past 12 months represents a marked increase over previous years, particularly in terms of the
number of arrests made, the weight of drugs seized and the identification of criminal assets for potential confiscation by the courts.

"The vast majority of targets set for 2002-03 were met and in some cases
significantly exceeded.

"The outstanding performance of the SDEA during the year is an indication of
how effective the organisation has become at tackling serious and organised
crime.

"It also stands testament to the determination and commitment of all staff
attached to the agency."

'Serious problem'

Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson was also pleased with the new figures.

She said: "Drugs misuse is one of the most serious problems facing Scotland. It destroys lives and it destroys communities.

"Tackling the problems of drug misuse requires concerted action on a number
of fronts.

"Preventing drugs getting on to our streets in the first place stops the
drug dealer menace in his tracks. That is why I am delighted to see the record
seizures reported by the SDEA.

Ms Jamieson added: "Every gram taken from the dealer's grasp is one less gram causing misery in our communities."

The drugs seized over the past year had a street value of £44,627,205 and included a single consignment
of 500kg of cocaine - the potential street value of which was £25m.

In addition, more than 2,088kg of Class B drugs were seized - an increase of 106%
on the previous year - with a street value of more than £11m.

Andrew Brown, chairman of the Acpos standing committee of chief constables,
said: "The impressive results achieved by the agency demonstrates the organisation's professionalism and commitment to providing the highest quality of service."